Lost Angels

This is a reflection on paper angels. This year they will be crafted again, and that is a time for joy. But last year they were burnt under the Easter bonfire, without a word, a prayer, to acknowledge the effort gone into them. I would have like to have seen something like this.

Celebrant: We now come to the Easter bonfire, and the burning of the Christmas angels. These angels once carried our Christmas light; now, through this fire, may Christ renew that light in our hearts.

Parishioners may have invested prayers, hopes, or memories into those paper angels. Seeing them burned could feel unsettling, as if those hopes are being consumed rather than lifted. Angels are more often linked to light (candles, stars, music) than to fire. Having them burnt unseen is even worse. Using fire as their “end” is unusual in Christian symbolism. Without a word of meaning, this becomes careless of those. The angels are not just decorations; they are embodiments of prayer, care, and communal offering. Their burning becomes a symbolic desecration.

This poem reflects on last Easter when this happened, without a word, and buried within the Easter bonfire, they were silently destroyed.

Lost Angels

Paper angels are now high up in flight
On wire and wings, on chancel, nave
Each made of love, to show the light
Each such blessings showered, gave

Paper angels made with love and care
On side chapel, by the entrance door
They fly above, and blessings share
Sing silently good tidings everymore

Paper angels removed and taken down
Kept in a cupboard to Christ’s dismay
I remember Easter day with a frown
Burnt with no words, no time to pray

Paper angels burnt without a word
And only God weeps and is heard